


hold on to me

by softlightwood



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, magnus gets hurt and alec takes care of him, there are mentions of injuries and blood and such but nothing intense, this is all fluff I promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-25 10:18:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6191182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softlightwood/pseuds/softlightwood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"What happened?" Alec asks, and he very suddenly notices the three huge tears in the fabric over Magnus' torso. The shirt isn't being held together by much and this at least allows him to tear it off swiftly, finding gauges made clearly by claws. "Is this the worst of it? Are you hurt anywhere else?"</p><p>"I think I may have sprained my ankle" Magnus answers thoughtfully. "And my pride. But that's the main source of the problem, I imagine"</p>
            </blockquote>





	hold on to me

**Author's Note:**

> look who couldn't stay away from this pairing (my wip folder is entirely malec at this point, you guys)
> 
> basically I couldn't stop thinking about alec taking care of magnus when he gets injured and how alec would prepare for that, so this happened and I kind of love it
> 
> enjoy!!

There's a small scrap of paper artfully balanced atop a sleeping Chairman Meow when Alec arrives home, exhausted and covered in ichor but much less injured than he'd expected to be. He knows better than to approach the testy little cat while stinking of demon, and it's unlikely that the Chairman will move from his comfortable spot on the sofa, so Alec takes himself to the bathroom to clean up first and foremost.

The worst part of his day is always, undoubtedly, de-gearing after a fight. Stripping off layers of protective gear coated with ichor and finding injuries you hadn't realised existed, grime in places you never realised grime could go - it wasn't a particularly fun experience. A warm, soapy shower usually did the trick though, the clumps of demon blood swirling around in the water at Alec's feet before disappearing into the drain. 

Alec knew, reasonably, that he should clean off his gear now before all the ichor dried and turned it into a solid clump of leather, but there was an ache of exhaustion deep in his bones and all he wanted to do was curl up and sleep. Clad in soft sweatpants and an old jumper, Alec throws himself bodily onto the sofa and just manages to catch the note before it flies off into the air when the Chairman jumps in alarm. 

_Alexander,_

_Unfortunately I've been called in to deal with some werewolf business, and I may or may not have misplaced my phone. Hence the note. Obviously._

_Anyway, I'm not sure how long this might take. Don't wait up, I love you_

_Magnus._

_(PS. I think my phone is underneath The Chairman. Please check? It begrudges me to say he likes you more than he likes me)_

The cat in question, who had been eyeing Alec suspiciously for making him jump half a mile, takes it upon himself to clamber over into Alec's lap and curl into a warm little ball. And of course, there is Magnus' phone; in a cat-shaped delve in the sofa.

"I think" Alec says, "that you did that on purpose"

The Chairman glances up at Alec a little surreptitiously and then away again, settling into a deep purr when Alec begins scratching behind his ears. Chairman Meow is one of the many things that made Magnus' place feel like home. It _is_ home, Alec knows - he's had a key ever since he'd first started seeing Magnus, all of his things are here and he's not slept a night away from this place in well over two years - but the institute had been his home for fourteen years and he'd never once felt like he belonged there.

He belonged _here_ , though. He belonged with Magnus, with their cheap coffee machine that they kept only because it was the first thing Alec had ever bought for the apartment, with the soft yellow blanket that always kept their bed warm and the black fabric sofa that always stayed despite the constant change in decor. Every time he comes home Magnus will greet him with a kiss, and the Chairman will nose at his legs or crawl into his lap. 

"We're friends now, aren't we?" Alec asks, and The Chairman continues to purr. "Hm. You're saying we'd be better friends if I gave you some of that nice tuna in the fridge. Aren't you?"

So Alec and Chairman Meow had a domestic few hours. Alec fed him, and the Chairman went off to do whatever cat business it is that he does while Alec settled into season two of a show Clary had insisted he watch, _Friends_. Then the little cat came back and curled up on Alec's chest, and eventually Alec dozed off feeling warm and content with no other wish in the world than Magnus being here too. 

A soft thump drags Alec back into consciousness.

It's dark now, the only light being the soft glow from the TV which had put itself on standby some time ago. Alec's natural shadowhunter senses have him alert and ready before his eyes are even open, hand instinctively going for his empty belt. It's so quiet that Alec is starting to wonder if he'd imagined it, and then it comes again, a sort of dragging thump that ends in a gentle echo. Instinctively Alec reaches for the seraph blade he keeps hidden under the coffee table, and after making sure the Chairman is safely out of the way, he slowly edges the door open. 

The lights in the hallway are usually pretty dismal, but the Nyx rune Jace had given him earlier that day assures that he can still see pretty well. Which means he has a perfect view of Magnus, slumped heavily against the handrail, trying valiantly to pull himself forwards by strength of his arms alone. "Magnus!"

He stops moving at the sound of Alec's voice and cranes his head up slowly, eyes lighting up like they do when Alec comes home to find him sprawled on the sofa watching trash tv. "Alexander. I told you not to wait up"

His shirt, which Alec had previously assumed to be dark, is actually soaked through with blood and it takes everything Alec has in him to not outwardly panic. "I suppose it's a good thing I did. Come on, we need to get you upstairs"

Magnus doesn't respond to that and he leans heavily against Alec's side as they move, hand clutching Alec's shoulder for dear life. He stumbles onto the sofa when Alec gets him there and he looks pale, blood too bright to be his own smeared across one cheekbone and contrasting starkly with the deep red staining his shirt.

"Okay" Alec says, kneeling quickly at Magnus' side. "Okay, alright. Let's- okay". Ultimately, he's panicking. Magnus doesn't usually get hurt like this - Alec is always the one staggering in half dead and Alec understands now why Magnus looks so fraught every time he gets called out for a mission. 

"You're panicking" Magnus says softly, lifting a hand to brush the back of his knuckles across Alec's cheekbone. "I'm quite alright - I've had much worse"

Alec hadn't realised his hands were shaking until he tried to get a grip on Magnus' shirt. 

"What happened?" Alec asks, and he very suddenly notices the three huge tears in the fabric over Magnus' torso. The shirt isn't being held together by much and this at least allows him to tear it off swiftly, finding gauges made clearly by claws. "Is this the worst of it? Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"I think I may have sprained my ankle" Magnus answers thoughtfully. "And my pride. But that's the main source of the problem, I imagine"

Alec brushes the tangled hair from Magnus' forehead and presses a kiss there, careful and quick. "Don't move, I'll be right back"

In the bottom drawer of Alec's dresser, beneath holed sweaters Magnus is sure to steer clear of, is a makeshift first aid box. Alec had started compiling it after an incident Magnus had with a faerie a few years back, but it had been largely completed by supplies from Catarina Loss. A nurse, she'd given Alec a concoction of magical salves and lotions as a gift once he'd started asking questions about how exactly to take care of a warlock medically.

"Magnus is stubborn" she'd told him, "but he's not as invincible as he'd let everyone believe". 

It's a little terrifying, Magnus being hurt like this. If it were someone else, Jace or Izzy, they could be healed instantly with a flick of Alec's stele, but Magnus isn't Nephilim and he certainly can't do magic on himself in such a state. So his current fate is left down to a jar of questionable-smelling salve and Alec's knowledge of first aid without a stele. Magnus has his eyes half-closed when Alec returns, and he makes a soft mumbling sound.

"Magnus?"

"Hmm?"

"Magnus, stay awake for me, okay?"

Alec takes a damp cloth to the wounds and carefully tries to both staunch the bleeding and remove enough blood that he can see what he's actually working with. Magnus hisses in pain and Alec can see the strain on his jaw from gritting his teeth, but he says nothing. At their widest point the wounds are as thick as the top of Alec's finger, and they stretch from Magnus' hipbone right up to his upper abdomen. Alec cleans the wounds as quickly as he can and then applies the salve - if it works as Catarina promised, it should stop the bleeding and encourage the healing of the internal layers of muscle and nerves.

It isn't an easy job with the size of the slashes and Magnus can't help but instinctively cringe away from Alec's prying fingers. In the end he has to dip the corner of the washcloth into the pot and then dab it on in gentle little bursts, increasingly conscious of the amount of blood Magnus has already lost. It takes a few long, agonising minutes but finally, the blood flow slows gradually into a careful trickle.

Letting out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding, Alec moves onto the trickier part. Though he had paid attention in all of his field training classes, and had administered stitches before, it was never to a wound of this size. He remembers vividly having to stitch up a cut for Jace because their parents had confiscated their steles - Jace's fault, completely - and the idiot thought it was a good idea to climb the rafters of the training room. Back then it was a cut no longer than Alec's little finger and no wider than the needle he stitched it with, and he sinks his teeth into his bottom lip at the comparison.

Magnus makes a confused sound, and tilts his head to watch Alec. 

"What did you do?" He asks curiously. Alec raises an eyebrow in question, and Magnus closes his eyes again. "Just then, with the cloth?"

"I stopped the bleeding" Alec tells him, but he's still worrying. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"

Getting Magnus to talk is, in theory, a good distraction from the stitches. They're not pleasant, that Alec can remember. Which of the two need distracting still remains to be seen, and Alec definitely slips a few times just trying to thread the needle. 

"Werewolves" Magnus sighs, just as Alec succeeds and starts on the first gash. "Maia came across a group of new wolves; a young girl was bitten and she turned, in all of the confusion and distress she somehow turned a friend, who turned another friend - you get the idea. A complete disaster, all of it accidental. But they were scared and defensive and completely unaware of the Shadow World. Maia wanted me to assist her in healing one of them, who was really quite injured, and demonstrate a trust that would allow them all to talk. If they frightened further at her trying to explain things then they may have fled, and that would have made the situation worse. None of them were able to control their transformations, and if they had accidentally killed someone, the Nephilim would have undoubtedly stepped in"

Alec frowns. "Why didn't Maia ask for me, then, if that was their worry? She knows I'd never go to The Clave with anything like that, I never have"

The friendship he'd struck up with both Maia and Lily, heads of the New York Werewolf and Vampire packs respectively, had turned the trio into quite the team when it came to handling downworlder business. A vampire, a werewolf and a shadowhunter with a warlock boyfriend. Even now, the idea makes Alec smile in disbelief. 

Magnus opens his eyes again to look up at Alec. "You were on a mission, remember? And Maia knows that, it's the rest of your species she doesn't trust. Speaking of, did you find those demons?"

There'd been a report of a nest of Shax demons hiding out in an abandoned warehouse, which is where Alec had been most of the day. The awfully crafted pentagram when they arrived painted most of the story; another mundane cult who actually succeeded in summoning a demon. They got five for the price of one and by the looks of it, none of them survived to tell the tale.

"Mundanes" Alec tells him, part way through the second wound now. "Same old, they summoned a Shax and got themselves killed. We managed to take care of it without too many bruises, which is a plus"

Magnus makes a face, like he always does when Alec speaks so bluntly about the admittedly more ridiculous members of human society, and Alec pretends not to notice. "Anyway, you didn't finish your story"

Magnus winces at a particularly painful stitch, waiting a few moments to catch his breath and collect his thoughts before he speaks. "Well" he says, "they were indeed frightened and confused, and as soon as they saw me with my magic they assumed I would hurt the injured wolf. You know how wolves can be when protecting one of their own, and they had never seen magic before. I'm quite embarrassed to say it took me by surprise when one of them lurched at me"

"It's not embarrassing" Alec insists instantly, soft and gentle. "These things happen"

"Not to the High Warlock of Brooklyn" Magnus mutters, and Alec can't quite hide his smile.

"They do. Even to you, oh powerful one"

Magnus levels him with a distinctly unimpressed stare, and with quick precision Alec finishes the final stitch. Feeling a little more optimistic after the first use of Catarina's medicines, Alec quickly applies the luminous blue lotion to the sore, stitched skin. Though not nearly as effective as the healing properties of actual magic, it should speed up the healing time considerably. Something visibly spreads through Magnus like a warmth and Alec sees the tension leave his body as he relaxes back into the sofa.

And then instantly tries to sit up. 

Alec holds both of his arms with a quick "hey, _careful_ " but Magnus is nothing if not stubborn, and he slowly heaves himself up as best he can. "You need to rest, Magnus"

"I need to get all of this blood off of my body, Alexander" but the words are gentle, a plea hidden beneath a layer of his usual snark. Reluctantly Alec stands first and helps pull Magnus into an upright position, one hand under his arm and the other firmly around his back. Slowly, they make their way into the bathroom and Magnus drops heavily onto the closed toilet seat.

"Let me help" Alec insists before Magnus can even think about moving, and so Magnus simply watches while he runs a clean washcloth under warm water and rummages in the cabinet for some soap. They're silent for a few moments until Alec switches off the water and comes to kneel between Magnus' knees, cloth in hand. "How did you get out?"

Magnus hums, like he didn't quite hear, and then the words catch up with him. "Oh. Maia jumped in and tackled the offending wolf whilst Bat and a few others contained the rest of the pack. I was there because they didn't want to do anything by force, but their viewpoint changed somewhat when my chest got clawed open"

"Rightly so" Alec says seriously, then begins to carefully wipe at the drying blood around the wounds.

Magnus rolls his eyes. "You sound like such a shadowhunter when you say things like that"

"I am a shadowhunter" Alec reminds him, not for the first time.

"No" Magnus replies. "You're _Alec_. But when you get that protective face on, and talk in your serious voice, you're a shadowhunter"

A small smile peeks at Alec's mouth. "I have a serious voice?"

"Yes" Magnus tells him easily, and then he circles a hand around Alec's where he's wiping blood away from Magnus' collarbone. Alec lets his hand stay there, curiously stilled, and he looks up into Magnus' eyes. "Sometimes, when I'm not bleeding and sore, it's even a little bit sexy"

This startles a laugh out of Alec, which in turn makes Magnus' eyes turn soft and fond. "Alexander, I do have one question for you"

"What's that?"

"Where on earth did you get a magically charged healing salve?" 

A red flush gathers high up in Alec's cheekbones and he bites his lip a little guiltily, even if he isn't sure entirely why. "I may have had a coffee or two with Catarina"

Magnus raises both eyebrows and Alec drops the hand holding the cloth, watching him carefully until he finally asks "but...why?"

It makes Alec frown. "Why what?"

"Why did you have it? You're a shadowhunter with a warlock boyfriend, you're not exactly short on medical solutions"

Alec looks at him as though he's sprouted a second head. "Are you- _Magnus_. I thought being oblivious was my thing. I have them for _you_ , obviously. I kind of...I have a little emergency first aid kit, just in case. It's not like I can use a stele on you, and you can't always use magic on yourself, so"

He shrugs, embarrassed, and Magnus looks at him like he's responsible for putting the stars in the sky. "Alexander" he says, like an endearment. "My Alec. Not a day goes by that I'm not taken aback by the depth of your heart. Did you know, in all the centuries I've lived and loved I've never had someone care for my wellbeing like you do? There's Cat, of course, but no one who doesn't share my power has ever considered there being a time I might not be able to use it"

Magnus reaches down to take one of Alec's hands in his own, and Alec looks up at him in disbelief. "After all you do for me, for my friends...no, not even that. _I love you_ , Magnus. I want to keep you protected, keep you safe. For as long as I can"

His free hand cups the side of Alec's face and Magnus smooths a thumb over the point of Alec's cheekbone, guiding him upwards for a kiss. It's filled with the same love and intensity that has been burning like a fire inside Alec for years now, searing heat right down to the very core of him. Alec loves Magnus more than he can ever properly convey, and he knows that's something that is never going to change.

Words so rarely fail Magnus but when they do, Alec often finds they weren't necessary anyway. He smiles up at the warlock, taking in the exhaustion and weariness but deeper than that the beauty, the bewildered love in the gold-green of his eyes. "You need rest, Magnus. Rest, and bandages".

Magnus smiles back. "Alright. But are the bandages really necessary?"

Standing is less of a struggle than it was on the way in and Alec simply rolls his eyes as he steadies a hand around Magnus' back once more, leading him to the bedroom. Chairman Meow is curled up on Magnus' pillow - Alec had noticed that he often did this if Magnus was away too long, or if he was injured in any way - and he meows softly at their entrance.

"Oh, stop worrying" Magnus tells the cat, but with feeling. Alec wants to make a comment about how the two of them should drop the nonchalant act, but doesn't want to ruin the moment. Secretly, they remind him of Simon and Jace. Once Magnus is successfully horizontal, Alec goes to retrieve the little supply box and the Chairman curls up by Magnus' head, purring when Magnus reaches to scratch his tummy. 

"Okay" Alec murmurs distractedly, setting the box on the bed. "I'm pretty sure there's some tape in here somewhere"

He rummages around a little more, sifting through more mundane things; packets of powdered plaster of Paris, rolls of thread, tubes of antiseptic cream and carefully setting aside vials of potion and pots of salve before he realises Magnus has been relatively quiet this whole time. Concerned, he glances up, and finds Magnus watching him with an expression of unguarded love and awe. 

Alec's fingers find the tape and he tries determinedly not to point out the glossiness of Magnus' eyes. "Everything okay? Does it hurt? I think I have something for that, if it does, para-something. Paracetamol? Clary says it's good for pain relief"

He's rambling, a little, but Magnus has said countless times that he finds it endearing. Magnus shakes his head slowly. "I know we've been through this, but...that's quite the accumulation of things"

Alec flushes red. "No, Alec, that's by no means a bad thing, darling. I'm just struggling to comprehend that you spent so much time compiling that box and asking Clary and Cat for help, all for me"

"Of course" Alec tells him softly. "Of course I did"

"I love you, Alexander" Magnus replies, in that soft voice of his that sends Alec's insides to mush even now. "But you and I both know I don't need those bandages"

Soft to snarky, in three seconds flat. Alec loves him so, so much. 

"I love you too" Alec says sweetly. "But you won't be better until the morning. That's a good six hours away. You can get all sorts of infections if you leave stitches unwrapped, for six hours. You're being a baby"

Magnus scoffs indignantly, but doesn't flinch away when Alec starts with the gauze. "I am the _High Warlock of Brooklyn_ , I am _eight hundred years old_ \- you know, I would turn most people into a toad for insulting me as you just did"

"I am not most people" Alec tells him. "And no, you wouldn't. I wouldn't let you"

Magnus rolls his eyes a little petulantly. Alec starts to wrap bandages carefully around the gauze pads and he sees Chairman Meow consider the unraveling bandages thoughtfully. He levels the cat with a _don't even think about it, don't make me regret giving you the nice tuna_ glare and he swears the Chairman rolls his eyes in mimic of Magnus.

"Okay" Alec tapes up the last little section and looks proudly at his work. "All done. You'll thank me for your uninfected stitches in the morning"

"I don't get infections" Magnus sighs while he watches Alec potter around, putting the box back and stripping out of his blood spattered clothes. "I appreciate the effort, regardless"

After flicking off the lights Alec climbs into bed and carefully manoeuvres himself around Magnus, mindful of his injuries. The yellow blanket is familiar and warm to the touch and it relaxes him somewhat; Magnus, Alec and Chairman Meow all safe and sound under the soft throw. Alec's little family.

Magnus reaches down to take Alec's hand.

"You know, I hoped you'd never have to understand how i feel whenever you arrive home bleeding and bruised"

It makes something uncomfortable twist up in Alec's gut, and he runs his thumb softly over the back of Magnus' hand. "I'm sorry. I wish it could be different but if it were...demons would do that to someone else. Someone without a wonderful warlock boyfriend to nurse them back to health"

"I understand. I suppose I was naïve enough to think I could shield you from that particular pain"

Alec hums. "It's not naïve. It's the same as me covering myself in iratzes so I don't bleed all over the doorstep, or showering back at the institute so I don't come home looking like hell. As it turns out, there's no preventing coming home injured in our line of work"

"I know". Magnus squeezes his hand again and they lay in silence, content to be still and comfortable and together. "Thank you. For taking care of me"

"Always" Alec promises. "I'll always take care of you"

**Author's Note:**

> (psa: plaster of Paris is the stuff you use to make a plaster cast for a broken bone)
> 
> find me over @ softlightwood on tumblr!!


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